Police searching for suspect in Ocoee man's death

Victim's body found inside a burning home

BRING IT TO YOU AND STOP WHATEVER WE'RE DOING AND BRING IT TO YOU RIGHT HERE ON LOCAL 6. IT HAS BEEN 24 HOURS SINCE THESE PHOTOS SURFACED. WE'RE TALKING LOCALLY HERE. A MAN WHO DISAPPEARED AND THEN FOUND MURDERED. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IS STILL A MYSTERY. 65-YEAR-OLD FRANK WRIGHT LEFT FOR HIS FISHING TRIP WITH HIS NEPHEW LAST WEDNESDAY. HE NEVER MADE IT TO THEIR MEETING SPOT, THOUGH. AS LOCAL 6'S KRISTIN GIANNAS EXPLAINS, INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING TO RECREATE HIS STEPS PRIOR TO HIS MURDER. EMPLOYEES HERE AT THIS McDONALD'S TELL ME FRANK WRIGHT WAS A FRIENDLY FACE THEY'D SEE EVERY MORNING. ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATORS, THIS IS THE LAST PLACE HE WAS SEEN ALIVE. IT'S NOT SOMEBODY IN THE FAMILY. HE SAYS THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTS TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO 65-YEAR-OLD FRANK WRIGHT. HE WAS LAST SEEN ON WEDNESDAY, ORDERING HIS USUAL COFFEE AND SAUSAGE BISCUIT AT THE McDONALD'S ON OCOEE APOPKA ROAD. HIS BODY WAS FOUND THE NEXT DAY BY FIREFIGHTERS PUTTING OUT A FIRE IN THIS ABANDONED HOUSE. WRIGHT WAS INSIDE A BURNING CAR IN THE GARAGE. VERY SHOCKED. BUT THIS IS A SMALL COMMUNITY. INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING TO RETRACE HIS STEPS. WRIGHT LEFT HIS HOME AT 6:30 ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. AN HOUR LATER HE WAS AT THE McDONALD'S. INVESTIGATORS SAY HE MADE IT TO HIS SECOND HOME NEAR APOPKA TO UNLOAD HIS CATCH FROM THE DAY BEFORE. HIS BODY WAS FOUND EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, FOUR MILES AWAY. HIS TRUCK, BOAT AND TRAILER WERE FOUND ABANDONED ON LEE ROAD AT THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX. INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY'RE FOLLOWING SEVERAL LEADS BUT HAVE NOT MADE AN ARREST. NOBODY THAT'S GOT ROOTS AROUND HERE WOULD DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WRIGHT'S FUNERAL WILL BE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT THE WEST ORLANDO CHRISTIAN CENTER. HIS FAMILY IS ASKING ANYONE WITH INFORMATION THAT COULD LEAD TO AN ARREST TO CALL THE ORANGE

OCOEE, Fla. -

Police have yet to locate a suspect in the death of a man who disappeared last Wednesday and whose body was found by firefighters inside a burning house.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office reports that Frank Wright, Sr., 65, left his home at 6:30 a.m. to go fishing, and was last seen alive in the McDonald's restaurant at 2281 Ocoee-Apopka Road, which he frequently visited, an hour later. Investigators believe that Wright made it to a second home near Apopka to unload the previous day's catch.

His body was found a day later, after firefighters trying to extinguish a fire at an abandoned house on Radiant Circle found him inside a stolen Honda Accord that was burning in the garage.

Quick Clicks

Police found Wright's truck, boat and trailer abandoned at an apartment complex on Lee Road.

"I'm very sad, it's just like somebody in the family," said Wilfred Sanders, a friend of Wright. "Nobody who's got roots around here would do anything like that."Wright's funeral will be held this Saturday afternoon at the West Orlando Christian Center.

Deputies advise anyone with information that could lead to an arrest in Wright's murder to call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.

Copyright 2013 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of clickorlando.com, WKMG or its affiliated companies. This is a community moderated forum (Please note the 'Flag' button). By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms Of service